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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
PSV Eindhoven sporting director Earnie Stewart intends to trigger buy options to make the loans of United States players Sergiño Dest and Malik Tillman at the club permanent.
“It is true that there is an option to buy both players,” Stewart said on the Ziggo talkshow ‘Rondo.’ “The expectation is that we will probably do something with that.”
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PSV is off to an incredible start to the season — having won all 16 Eredivisie matches and advanced to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 — with both Tillman and Dest playing key roles. Tillman is tied for third on the team with five league goals, while Dest has been a fixture at left-back and scored a lovely goal against AZ Alkmaar in the team’s win on Sunday.
Stewart, who left his role as the sporting director for U.S. Soccer to take up the post at PSV in January, indicated both players would like to remain with the club (Dest is on loan from Barcelona; Tillman is on loan from Bayern Munich).
“Fortunately, yes,” Stewart said. “That is of course also very important. As a club you can want anything, but a player is very important in this. You first discuss it with the player and his management, so it is a bit premature to say that here at this table.”
PSV’s next match comes Thursday in the Dutch KNVB Cup against FC Twente. They will try to match the Eredivisie record for longest winning streak on Jan. 13 against Excelsior.
One of Stewart’s first moves at PSV was to sign American striker Ricardo Pepi from FC Augsburg in July. Pepi has four league goals off the bench and has scored twice in the Champions League.